Main Course
by Farky-fark and the Munky Bunch
Summary: Here it is, the Main Course. This is the dinner party at which all 17 Daedric Princes are present, therefore hilarity ensues. Please enjoy. This is the sequel to Appetizers. The ending has been redone.


**A/N: **Hello all, and welcome to the Main Course. I hope your Appetizers were enjoyable and that is why you have returned for the final addition to your meal. *sweeping bow* If you don't already know me, I am your host for the evening, Farky-Fark and the Munky Bunch. Farky will do. If you _do _already know me; hi. The day you have all been waiting for has finally come, and this technically marks the end of this story thread for me, though this is considered a separate story by yours truly. The real reason I'm here is because of my wonderful supporters from Appetizers, so thank you; you all know who you are. If you didn't, you wouldn't be reading this right now. Speaking of which, before I forget, look out for something Sheo says in here, **Whatshisface**; you should recognize it. And…also, because I promised ALL 17 princes would make an appearance, I have a bit of my own take on why Sheo left the Shivering Isles before Jyggalag actually made his appearance in the DLC. The switch comes with…complications. AND…shoot. Umm…Oh yeah! The Dovahkiin is mentioned briefly, and just so you know, the few comments about him are based off my Skyrim character. Kay? So…here we are. Finally. To be honest, I just…feel like something's missing. Now, I am a perfectionist, so in my mind, this will never be perfect, but…two weeks went by way faster than I expected and I was scrambling to get it finished today. I guess that's what I get for both procrastinating and not really having any sort of a plan for where this was going to go. I just started typing and kept going. Still, it's here, like I promised, and if any of you have suggestions or anything, leave a review and let me know so I can edit things. Just…please be reasonable and don't ask me to totally rewrite it or act like you own it. I've had that happen before and it's very frustrating. And I'll just include this for those of you who haven't read anything of mine and therefore wouldn't know, but it's rated T for language and suggestive content. I mean, come on, we're talking about Sanguine here, there's gonna be some of that. By the way, have any of you seen the Broadway musical "Urinetown"? I have Cladwell's song, "Don't Be the Bunny" stuck in my head...it's starting to drive me crazier than I already am. Anyway, I've said too much already so what I really want to say is, enjoy. :) If it works out, you _might_ get some dessert later too. We'll see… (And I didn't mean that in a Sanguine/Mephala sort of way; really, I didn't.) (Also, I did revise the ending, but there's always room for polishing, so if you have any suggestions just let me know. I'm more content with it now than before though. My first ending SUCKED. Don't worry, I knew it too.)

Okay, in case you haven't read my profile, I'm here to let you know that I am planning on rewriting this particular story. If you have anything in particular that you'd like me to keep, let me know by reviewing or sending me a PM. Thank you.

**Disclaimer: **The idea, the situation, the dialogue, and the cheese are mine. The characters are not.

* * *

A large dining room, adorned in various hues of red, gold, and purple, was filled with 16 people, scattered about, some sitting, some standing, some talking, some watching. In the center was a table that spanned the length of the entire room, covered in expensive adornments and a large variety of alcoholic beverages. Servants were milling about; Mazken, Aureals, Winged Twilights, Aurorans, and Dremora.

Meridia was the first to speak. "Since nobody else seems to be willing to ask the question I know we all have in mind, why _are_ we here?"

At the head of the table sat a man, who had been silently brooding when he heard the woman's question. "Why Meridia, we're here to party! Why else?"

The short, stocky man to his right raised a glass of wine and added, "And to drink!"

Meridia gave a haughty sniff of disapproval and Sanguine exchanged a look with Sheogorath, both shrugging.

"Could we just get this over with?" Azura asked, giving the two men a pointed look. She had an air of command that brought everyone's attention back to her words and she gestured toward the empty chairs. The thirteen others slowly, grudgingly began to move to their appointed seats, grumbling complaints under their breath.

"Thank you, Azura, for yet again ruining all the fun." Sanguine drawled sarcastically, signaling for a refill.

The Queen of the Night Sky chose to ignore his statement and took her seat at the other end of the table.

A crash reverberated through the dining hall and all heads turned to see Mehrunes Dagon ducking to accommodate for his height and looking with mild surprise at the vase he had knocked over with one of his four arms. "Sorry, my bad."

Hircine snickered as Peryite rose obediently and swept up the vase before returning to the table.

Hermaeus Mora, finally managing to contain his shapeless, oozing form to the chair set out for him beside his sister, turned to Meridia. "The answer to your question, I believe, is to discuss the events of the mortals in Skyrim."

"Mortals!" Sheogorath hooted. "I love them!"

"It's quite fun to toy with their puny little lives," came the dry reply from the other side of the table. A few people turned to look at who had spoken.

Hermaeus Mora gave a heavy sigh that nearly sent him sliding to the floor and he gave the woman a warning look as she momentarily forgot her comment and smiled flirtatiously at Sanguine. "Mephala…"

She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, casting him a side glance. "Sorry. But since we're all stuck here, I might as well have a little fun."

Sanguine raised his glass in a sign of approval and looked her over from above the rim.

"Can someone remind me why we care about mortals…?"

"We don't," Molag Bal replied with an indifferent shrug. "We use them, they die, and we use their children. It's, as they would say, a vicious cycle."

"Then there has to be another reason we're here."

Sanguine kicked his feet up and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at the woman opposite him. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I know why _I'm _here…"

Meridia sniffed in disgust. "I am positive that is _not_ the reason."

"Enough about why we should or shouldn't be here," Hircine broke in, becoming impatient, "Let's eat!"

Several of the other Princes nodded in agreement and Sheogorath snapped his fingers. "Haskill!"

The disgruntled Breton appeared beside his master. "Yes, my Lord?"

"Get some food out here! Bring out the cheese!"

Haskill gave a heavy sigh and turned on his heel, muttering under his breath. Sheogorath watched him go, a wide grin across his face. "Such a delightful servant! So much better than those Aureals and Mazken. A much more pleasant personality."

Hircine raised his eyebrows, but decided it would be better not to comment.

Azura looked down the table at her fellow princes and sighed. This wasn't quite going how she'd hoped. On either side of her, Meridia and Namira were shooting each other glares, and Nocturnal was watching with slight amusement, absentmindedly stroking the raven perched on her arm. Beside Nocturnal sat Malacath who appeared to be having a casual conversation with Peryite. Mehrunes Dagon was being destructive as usual and Hircine had his arm draped comfortably over his chair as he inspected the dried blood beneath his fingernails. Sanguine and Mephala were still exchanging flirtatious looks and comments while Hermaeus fumed silently and acted as a buffer between his sister and Molag Bal. Clavicus Vile was currently shrunk back in his chair to avoid being hit by the two Daedra fighting on either side of him, Molag on the right and Boethiah to the left. Vaermina was simply watching everyone as Azura herself was doing, although the latter was also sincerely hoping that Haskill would return soon with the food to act as a distraction.

Right on cue, the Breton walked back in with a tray of food and two Aurorans followed suit behind him.

"Your food, sir," came the dry, flat voice they had all grown accustomed to.

"Yes! Thank you Haskill! I was beginning to think we would have to eat our own servants!" The Prince of Madness laughed hysterically at his own joke while Haskill looked on with his usual lack of emotion.

"Right. Very funny, my Lord. Gets me every time." Seeing he had no further use, he deposited the food on the table and retreated to stand beside his master.

Sheogorath raised his glass of wine and signaled for a toast. "To those pesky little mortals!"

The following echo was a mixture of various personalized toasts, from Azura's, "To what will probably be the worst night of my life," to Sheogorath's revised statement of, "To CHEESE!" and Mephala's own toast, accompanied by a wink in Sanguine's direction, "To a night full of fun," which her fellow Prince heartily agreed to.

There was a brief silence that followed as everyone was distracted by the food and Azura was grateful for a moment to try and collect her thoughts. Not wanting to prolong the night, but also not wishing for anything unfortunate to happen, she let the various conversations that had started continue, listening to the snippets she could pick up.

"Well sure I'll punch her in the face…but only if I can have that last piece of bread."

"How long do you think this is going to take?"

"I swear I'm going to kill you!"

"Your room or mine…?"

"Well, actually, I already happen to live in hell…"

"No, there aren't weregoats! Where in Oblivion did you hear that?"

"No I will _not_ be cleaning up after! That's the servants' job!"

"Why yes, actually. Eradicating undead happens to be my specialty."

"No, you're doing it wrong. You hold a sacrificial blade like _this_…Yes, exactly. That way it's a slower, more painful death…"

"I don't like all these candles; may I put this one out? Thank you. I'm much better suited to darkness."

"I'll bring the champagne…"

"No, I have no idea what she sees in him. And that's saying something considering knowledge is my forte."

"Were_horkers_? Now that's just insulting."

"Of course I don't like them! They're too pretty."

"Wait a minute! So you were the one who-I don't believe it! I was having the most amazing dream about Mephala and then when I turned around, it was Hermaeus in my bed!"

"Come now, Sanguine. You're not the only one who can have a bit of fun…"

Hermaeus face palmed in embarrassment; or, he did the equivalent of such with a disproportionally large claw and what would be a stretch to call a face. "That's repulsive."

"No, believe me, it could've been worse. I know repulsive…"

Azura sighed and then cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "I'm sorry to disrupt you from your…intriguing conversations, but I believe we have business to attend to."

The Prince at the other end nodded and shook a finger in the air. "Of course! Those mortals! So…squishy…delightful as pie filling!"

Meridia's face turned a pale shade of green and she slowly put down her fork.

"Eh…yes…well, as their superiors, I believe we should evaluate their world and decide if it's time for any interventions."

"Have you heard about that revolution between the Nords and Imperials?" Boethiah interrupted excitedly. "It's brilliant! They're killing each other all over the place!"

Mehrunes Dagon gave a small bow. "Thank you; I was rather proud of that one."

"I deserve some credit," Vaermina interjected. "I was the one who gave Ulfric the thought of becoming High King."

"I thought I saw how all that was going to end," Hermaeus Mora said thoughtfully. "But even I didn't expect Alduin to come into the picture."

All of the Princes nodded in agreement and murmurs swept through the dining hall.

Sanguine shrugged. "No complaints here. What with the dragon attacks, more people are taking to the bars and brothels around Skyrim. It's ingenious really, I should have thought of it sooner."

"There's some idiotic mortal who keeps coming to my shrine and telling me I have to listen to him because he's my son." Molag Bal said with a certain amount of incredulity.

"Did you ever consider that he might be telling the truth…?" Mephala asked, shooting him a degrading look.

"Well, he told me his mother's name and I don't remember her."

The other Prince snorted. "You actually ask them their names first?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes."

That's beside the point of this arrangement," Hermaeus said, his deep voice getting everyone's attention.

Azura shot him a grateful look and he nodded in acknowledgement as she continued. "Yes, thank you. As I was saying-"

A failed attempt to stifle a giggle cut her off and all heads turned to see that Sanguine had moved to stand beside Mephala and was whispering something in her ear.

"Sit down!" Hermaeus growled, glaring at the man beside his sister.

Sanguine raised his eyebrows and smiled smugly, sauntering back to his seat and swinging his feet up on the tabletop. "Sure. Whatever." He picked up his glass of wine and nodded toward Azura. "You were saying?"

"The mortals of Skyrim are being annihilated by the dragon threat against them. Even the Divines are considering taking action."

"Then that's a perfect reason why we shouldn't do anything!" Molag Bal said emphatically. "Why should we ever agree with _them_? They're always so…good…"

Even Azura and Meridia had to agree. None of the Daedra ever got along with their Aedra counterparts.

A contemplative silence fell over the table for a few minutes, but it was broken by Clavicus. "What do you think of the Dovahkiin?"

"He's very useful," Peryite admitted, and Hircine nodded his agreement

Malacath frowned. "He's too pretty."He was silenced almost immediately by a number of glares.

"I agree with Peryite," Nocturnal said in contemplation. "He has proved to be quite a useful asset to most of us."

"He's far too sane, but I suppose he's a nice lad overall. He could use a lesson or two in how to properly incorporate the wonders of madness into his life. Perhaps take some dancing lessons from a salmon."

"I think he's cute."

This time it was Sanguine's turn to scowl while Hermaeus hid a satisfied smile at seeing him ruffled.

"Sorry, Mephala. He's married to one of mine." Hircine interjected, "One of the Companions."

"Well, I can't get them all."

The Dreamweaver shook her head and gave Mephala a pointed look. "I believe we were discussing his value, not his level of attractiveness."

"Thank you, Vaermina."

This whole meeting was rapidly deteriorating, and while it was true that Azura hadn't really had a plan for what she was going to discuss with her fellow princes, she felt obligated to try and get something accomplished. Especially since nobody actually knew for sure who had arranged all this.

"Look, nothing's really happening here," Namira said impatiently. "Let's go back to the original question. What in Oblivion are we doing here?"

They all exchanged looks, but no one had a definitive answer, so no one spoke up.

Nocturnal sighed. "Well, that explains it. Since we're here, we might as well make the most of it."

Sanguine nodded emphatically and he and Mephala simultaneously stood up.

Boethiah forced them back down with a glare. "Can we start with some more food? We can go from there."

Mumbles of agreement swept through the room and the servants snapped into action, quickly covering the table in exotic foods and refills for the drained glasses.

Malacath tore into a raw rabbit leg—much to Meridia's disgust—while Sheogorath loaded his plate with cheese, Clavicus took an entire loaf of bread and Sanguine just kept drinking.

Azura desperately tried to collect her thoughts during the brief silence, while the occasional comment broke the food induced hush.

"Hey, Sheo, can you pass the butter?"

The Madgod handed the mentioned condiment across the table to Clavicus with a proud grin. "I churned it myself!"

"Anyone up for a drinking contest?" Hircine looked around the table, eyebrows raised. "Anyone?"

Clavicus shrugged. "Sure."

"Oh…sorry kid, you're too young."

Clavicus scowled. "I'm older than you."

"Should've thought of that before you chose to look like a little devil child." Hircine raised two fingers to create mock horns and hissed, baring his fangs.

Hermaeus sighed, Meridia rolled her eyes and Azura face palmed.

"I'll take you up on your challenge." Mephala stood up and switched places with her brother so she was across from Hircine.

"Hmm…alright. Anyone else? Except Sanguine. That wouldn't be fair."

Sanguine nodded in agreement, but didn't speak as he had a bottle of wine raised to his lips.

"I'll just watch," Mehrunes replied, and the others nodded, supplying similar sentiments.

Sanguine scooted a tankard toward each of them. "I'll pour." He raised his half empty bottle of mead and filled each one. "Hircine, you start."

The Huntsman finished off his first round and licked his lips, grinning wolfishly. Mephala followed suit and looked toward Sanguine with no change of expression. He refilled their mugs and the drinking continued while the others watched in amusement, revulsion, or a mixture of both. By the time they had depleted two and a quarter bottles of mead each, both were completely wasted, but neither was willing to admit they'd lost.

Mephala looked over at Hircine and smiled, waving one finger in the air. "One more!" Looking at her hand, she frowned and wiggled the finger as her vision blurred. "Wait…that's two…three?"

Hircine nodded then blinked a few times before looking at Sanguine. "Well you heard the lady…Let'sh get shome more!"

"I wouldn't recommend it; and that's saying something."

Without regarding the other Prince's warning, Mephala picked up a mostly full bottle of alcohol, taking a swig straight from the bottle and slamming it back down on the table.

Not to be outdone, the Lord of the Hunt did the same and shoved the bottle back in her hands. "Face it, shweetheart. I beat you. Okay? I…" He paused and stared at the air in front of him with a look of awe, pawing at something no one else could see. "See butterflies…" With one more half-hearted attempt to catch the elusive insect, he passed out on the table, his face landing right in a bowl of soup and splashing both people beside him.

A moment of silence followed, which was broken by a drunken fit of giggles from Mephala. "I won!"

All heads turned in her direction and with a bit of effort, Hermaeus managed to pry the still half full bottle of booze from his sister's hand.

When someone spoke up, it was Sanguine that ruptured the lull in conversation. "And now's when I'll take my leave."

Considering how intoxicated Mephala was, nobody—not even Hermaeus—complained when Sanguine stood up and made his way over to her, picking her up out of her chair and hefting her effortlessly over his shoulder.

She hiccupped when he scooped her up and ran two of her hands down his back.

"Why are we leaving the party?"

When he responded, his voice was somewhere between a growl and a purr. "Don't you worry, baby. We're having our own private party…I promise you won't be disappointed…"

There was a brief break in speech before Mephala gave a small gasp of enlightenment. "Oh…"

Nocturnal raised her eyebrows and Hermaeus turned green…er.

An unfamiliar voice broke the silence. "Well that's three down. Thirteen is a much more manageable number."

Everyone looked over from where the voice had originated, only to see Sheogorath daintily eating a piece of cheese, slowing the rate of his chewing when he noticed the stares.

"What? Is there a rabbit on my head?"

His question was met with a general response of quizzical looks or exchanged glances reminiscent of any of his usual comments.

Haskill was the only one who had any sort of physical reaction, turning even paler than usual and stepping up to stand beside his master.

"Lord Sheogorath…I think it would be better if we returned home now. You know it's a…sensitive time there."

"We will do nothing of the sort! I would rather eat your legs than go back there! Now shoo, you're getting to be a nuisance."

Before the Breton could object, the Madgod waved his hand lazily and his servant disappeared.

A few people heard an added comment of, "Insufferable bastard," but once again, the voice couldn't quite be identified.

"Servants, you are dismissed as well. Ta ta!"

There was a brief moment of chaos and confusion, but the room was still cleared of all but the 13 conscious princes and Hircine who was snoring loudly.

"Well…now that we're alone, and three of us are gone, with one…incapacitated…we can finally get to the matter at hand."

Where Sheogorath had been sitting, Jyggalag was now lounging casually, examining each of his fellow Princes. In one universal epiphany, the room erupted into mass chaos.

Molag and Boethiah both stood up and not quite sure who exactly their anger was supposed to be directed at, they turned on each other and a fist fight broke out.

Nocturnal was quick to disappear and Azura and Peryite took it upon themselves to try and break up what had become an increasingly violent wrestling match. Mehrunes watched in delight and kept score while Malacath and Clavicus made bets.

Meridia and Namira were yelling at each other about who knows what, Hermaeus and Vaermina didn't do anything, and Jyggalag just watched. He'd forgotten how much he hated all of them.

The Prince of Order stood and a hush immediately fell over the room. He scanned the crowd then focused on Malacath."Malacath, Namira, you may go. My grudge does not extend to you simply because you're not nearly important enough. Leave while you can."

Though both were ruffled by his blatant insult, they were all too happy to oblige, hurrying out in a matter of seconds.

"As for the rest of you—"

Azura stood defiantly, though when she spoke, her voice wavered. "Jyggalag, whatever you're planning, don't do it. It's not worth it."

"Not worth it? Azura, my dear, you have no idea what it's like to be trapped inside the mind of a fool while you watch everything you stand for burn to the ground. _Everything_ I could do to you would be "worth it". It's finally time for all of you to get your comeuppance. Honestly, I didn't think it would be so easy to get all of you here, but it seems you're more trusting of each other than you'd like to admit."

Nervous glances were exchanged around the table. Had they honestly been so easily led into a trap?

"You have no idea how much I would love to just get rid of you all. For good. But seeing as we're all immortal, all of us know that cannot truly happen. So instead, I'm simply going to momentarily dispose of you."

He held up his hand and dangling from two long thin silver fingers was a key ring with easily over fifty different keys.

Everybody stared blankly for a moment before Clavicus narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't…"

Jyggalag laughed coldly and strode toward the door, putting his hand on the doorknob. "Yes, Vile, I would. You'll be staying here until I'm once again replaced by the Madgod and once he even realizes the situation, he'll have quite a bit of work cut out for him." He jangled the key ring and opened the thick metal door, stepping outside before anyone could even process what he was saying, let alone manage to stop him. With one last satisfied look around the room, he gave them what could be considered a grin and locked the door from the outside with a flourish. "Until next time."

There was a moment of complete shock before the silence was broken by two things, both coming from Boethiah: "Dammit!" The sentiment was followed by a sharp crack as her fist hit the closest thing; that being Molag Bal's nose.

He stumbled backwards with a stream of curses and in seconds, the fight that had finally managed to end was started up yet again and tensions rose as patience thinned.

The atmosphere crackled with various nearly tangible emotions, all negative, but there was one that was also written across every face: shame.

Shame for having fallen for his trap; shame for not being able to stop him; shame for having taken out their frustration on each other. And most of all, shame for being too damn stubborn to admit that it was their own selfish pride that had landed them in their current situation.

* * *

Azura let out a long sigh. What had started as a somewhat constructive meeting was now in shambles.

Hircine was passed out in a chair beside the fire while Mehrunes Dagon sat crouched nearby, poking absently at the flames.

Molag Bal and Boethiah were nursing their wounds on opposite sides of the room and Peryite flitted between them, helping when needed.

Nocturnal was nowhere to be seen, but that in no way meant she wasn't still somewhere nearby.

Hermaeus Mora was reading on a couch with a look of disgust as Sanguine and Mephala snuggled at the other end, having reappeared about half an hour after Jyggalag's departure.

"Shoo," Molag said bitterly as Peryite came over again. "I'll be fine."

Sanguine ran his fingers through Mephala's long black hair as she curled up in his lap and laid her head on his bare chest.

"I had a great time tonight…" He purred lovingly in her ear. "We should get together more often."

She traced the muscles on his chest with her finger and played with his horns with one of her other three arms. "Agreed. But I don't think my brother approves of you…"

Sanguine snorted. "I'm not looking for his approval," His hand slid down her side to rest on her hip. "You gave me all the approval I needed…"She giggled and Hermaeus fumed silently behind his book.

Vaermina was sitting somewhere near Hircine, watching him curiously as he slept, waiting for any signs of what he might be dreaming about. Malacath and Namira had obviously not returned, not like they could've even if they wanted to and Meridia was slumped over at the table, playing with her silverware in obvious boredom. Clavicus Vile was staring up at the ceiling while using Barbas as a pillow and Azura herself was sitting tall in a seat beside the couch, the only one still appearing to be any form of royalty.

"What the…?" Hircine looked around in confusion as he awoke from his drunken slumber. "Where'd everybody go?"

"Everything went to Oblivion after you passed out and those two went off to their own private party."

Mehrunes Dagon responded, nodding in the direction of the lovers still entwined in each other's arms.

"So…why are we still here?"

"Jyggalag locked us in and left with the key." Clavicus said nonchalantly, turning to look at the Huntsman.

"On purpose?"

Meridia snorted. "Probably."

"That crazy bastard has no idea what he's doing." Hermaeus said darkly, pausing momentarily in his reading.

Sanguine separated his lips from Mephala's. "I don't mind staying…It could be worse."

For once, Azura agreed with him and nodded grudgingly. "At least Malacath isn't here."

Murmurs of agreement swept through the small assembly.

Sanguine bent his knees and Mephala slid down between his legs and rested her head on his shoulder, accommodating for her slightly superior height. "Wish Mora wasn't here." The former muttered, and his company nodded her agreement, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Hermaeus heard the comment and turned half of his eyes in their direction. "Well I am, and that means _nothing_ will happen between you two."

"Too late, brother," Mephala replied, breaking her silence and shivering slightly as Sanguine's lips brushed against her neck. "Besides, I don't have to listen to you."

Hircine, never having been a big fan of Hermaeus Mora in the first place, took their side. "She's right, and you have to admit, they make a cute couple."

Clavicus laughed and Molag Bal smirked, moving over to join the others by the fireplace.

Sanguine gave him a wide grin. "Hear that? We're cute."

Meridia rolled her eyes and Hermaeus did everything to refrain from throwing his book at him just to wipe the stupid grin off his face.

Mephala framed his face with two of her hands and put the other two in his hair as she kissed him.

"Oh for the love of the gods! Get a room!"

Good natured laughter swept through the room with the exception of Hermaeus and Meridia; even Azura couldn't help but smile.

"Come on Mora," Sanguine chuckled. "Lighten up will you? If we're going to be stuck here we might as well enjoy it. I've already got your sister to help with that; you should find someone to make friends with."

"We could play chess." Clavicus suggested jovially.

Hermaeus sighed and grudgingly decided to humor the younger prince. "Alright."

The others gathered around to watch; having nothing better to do, and even Sanguine and Mephala momentarily directed their attention away from each other, stretching out on the couch now that they had it all to themselves.

"No, move your pawn there," Hircine said, his eyes analyzing the chess board.

"Hey!" Clavicus protested. "I thought you were on my side."

Sanguine sat up and moved Mephala to his lap. "I'll work with you. Take his knight."

Boethiah snorted. "That would be stupid. You obviously know nothing about battles! Keep snuggling; that's all you're good for."

He shrugged and wrapped one of his arms around Mephala's waist, stroking her check with his other hand. "You're beautiful you know…"

She smiled and rubbed one hand along his thigh, whispering back teasingly, "You're not so bad yourself."

He kissed her jawline and Hircine snarled. "You two make me sick."

Clavicus waved his hand in dismissal and sent both men a frown. "Stop talking. You're wrecking my concentration."

Mehrunes looked up from where he was lighting a rug on fire in his boredom. "Hey, that's my job."

"Checkmate." Hermaeus scooped up Vile's king and sat back in his chair with a look of triumph.

"No way! How did you…"

Peryite glanced over, pausing in his efforts to put out Dagon's quickly spreading fire. "Think about it. He can see what move you're going to make an hour before you make it. You chose the worst chess opponent possible."

"If you're looking for an easy game, play with Malacath. He doesn't even know which piece is which." Everyone glanced behind them to see that Nocturnal had reappeared and was sitting beside Meridia who let out a yelp when she realized she was no longer alone.

Boethiah moved over and spun the board around, giving Molag Bal a look that might have been her best attempt at an unspoken apology. "I'll play you, if you're willing."

The other Prince looked surprised, but didn't object or offer any snide comments, simply switching places with Clavicus and setting up his side of the board, giving Boethiah a playful grin. "Alright, let's see if I can't beat you in this kind of battle."

* * *

**_1 year later…_**

It was Meridia who woke up when she heard the distinct jingle of keys from somewhere nearby. Sitting up, she listened for it and upon hearing it again, got up and ran out into the hallway and down the stairs to the door that had been securely locked for exactly a year now.

"Is anybody in there?"

"Of course they are my lord, where could they have gone?"

"They could have been eaten by your cousin. You know, the one who turned into a mountain goat."

Meridia almost laughed out of pure joy at hearing the voice of her fellow Prince and his manservant.

"I assure you that never happened. And I don't believe goats are carnivores."

"Haskill? Sheogorath?"

There was a brief pause.

"Meridia? Why good morning! How's life been?" The Madgod laughed at his own joke and for once, Meridia didn't respond with disdain.

"Hold on, let me go wake the others. Keep trying the keys!" She went back upstairs and opened the nearest door, looking in to see a haphazard pile of sheets tangled between two sleeping forms. "Sanguine!"

He untangled himself from Mephala's four arms and sat up with a frown. "Yes?"

"Get up, both of you. They're back!" She left him to process her statement as she went to inform all the others of the news.

In less than a minute, all thirteen princes were gathered in the hallway, half-asleep, disheveled and all around confused. Ever the leader, Azura quickly informed everybody of the situation and with Peryite's help managed to prevent a stampede as everybody ran down to meet their savior.

The door was still locked when they reached it and Molag Bal pounded on the door. "How many keys left?"

The response was not very easily interpreted, but considering no progress had yet been made, was slightly discouraging. "More than the number of teeth belonging to a slug."

Hircine frowned and scratched his head. "Do slugs even have teeth…?"

Hermaeus waved away his question and aimed his comment to the outside parties. "I hope it won't be long. We've waited long enough as it is."

"Let me try my lord, you've used that one three times already."

Mehrunes snorted. "Well that explains a lot."

The sound of jingling keys denoted the switch of hands and Haskill offered reassurance to the impatient Princes on the other side. "Don't worry, it'll just be a moment."

A few minutes passed and Sanguine sighed. "You woke me up so I could stare at a closed door?"

Vaermina shot him a look. "She woke you up because we're getting out of here."

Azura politely hushed them both. "Any closer, Haskill?"

"Yes Your Majesties. Almost there. Just a few more…" They heard a key turn and it was rewarded with a satisfying click as the door sprang open and Clavicus let out a whoop, turning around and wrapping Nocturnal in hug which she awkwardly returned with a pat to his head.

Haskill's ever stoic face appeared around the doorway and Sheogorath swept him aside, opening the door with a flourish and bowing. "You're welcome."

"For what?" Boethiah grumbled. "Standing there while Haskill got us out?"

Azura, in a very rare fit of pure joy, grabbed the Madgod by the collar and kissed him full on the lips, getting a shocked stare from the usually nonplussed Prince when she pulled away.

Everyone laughed at the expressions on both Sheogorath and Haskill's faces and a level of tension rose off of their shoulders that had been lurking there for a year now.

The events of the year passed from the night of the now infamous dinner party were rarely discussed, the true happenings known only to those who had been there, though no one could deny that something had changed about all of them. Something no one could quite put their finger on.


End file.
